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In 2012, Protean Electric, a Michigan-based company with $84 million in Chinese funding, announced it was reinventing the wheel, so to speak. The idea was to create in-wheel electric motors that would eliminate many traditional components, like axles, while freeing up the interior space normally occupied by the powertrain, ultimately allowing engineers more freedom in vehicular design.

After developing demonstration vehicles, like the Brabus Mercedes and Ford F150 shown here, Protean has now inked a deal with FAW-Volkswagen to intergrate its system into production cars, starting with a demonstration EV version of its Bora sedan in 2014, leading to a full production version a few years later. The company is seeking more OEMs to bring its inovative system to the general public.